Do you have a favorite children’s book?  

Don’t miss Danville’s Village Theater Gallery’s show of The Storybook Makers.  Last night Bill and I attended the opening night and we were entranced by the art by children’s book illustrators on display.  Our friend, Constance Anderson, just published a book, Smelling Sunshine, and you can see one of her illustrations from the book.  Rakestraw Books in Danville sells her book, as well as other books from the show.  Don’t miss the exhibit!

www.candersonart.com/blog/books

www.danville.ca.gov/Things-To-Do/Art-and-Culture/Village-Theatre-Art-Gallery/

www.rakestrawbooks.com

The show brought back memories of my first children’s book that I collected, Orestes or the Art of Smiling by Domenico Gnoli. 

 What a beautifully illustrated book by an artist who used pen and ink and watercolor drawings to gratify the imagination of a teenaged girl.

My next set of books was Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by the Bronte sisters.  The books were filled with wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg and helped define the mood of the stories.

When Theo was born, we increased our collection of children’s books many times over.  Now that he is grown up, I have been torn about giving them away.  The illustrations still grab me, the memories of reading the stories to him hundreds of times over and over again still flood me, and the connection to the mind of another person is still present.  The debate between ‘real’ books and Kindle-type books is mute to me.  What is important is sharing and being inspired by the thoughts of a writer.

If you have a favorite children's book, let me know and I will make a list here of all the favorites that we remember. (Your name will not be included!)